The origin of large amplitude oscillations of dust particles in a plasma sheath

Micron-size charged particles can be easily levitated in low-density plasma environments. At low pressures, suspended particles have been observed to spontaneously oscillate around an equilibrium position. In systems of many particles, these oscillations can catalyze a variety of nonequilibrium, col...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inarXiv.org
Main Authors Joshua Méndez Harper, Gogia, Guram, Wu, Brady, Laseter, Zachary, Burton, Justin C
Format Paper Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Ithaca Cornell University Library, arXiv.org 08.06.2020
Subjects
Charge density
Charged particles
Charging
Dusty plasmas
Mathematical models
Oscillations
Physics - Plasma Physics
Plasma
Plasma sheaths
Vertical motion
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Summary:Micron-size charged particles can be easily levitated in low-density plasma environments. At low pressures, suspended particles have been observed to spontaneously oscillate around an equilibrium position. In systems of many particles, these oscillations can catalyze a variety of nonequilibrium, collective behaviors. Here, we report spontaneous oscillations of single particles that remain stable for minutes with striking regularity in amplitude and frequency. The oscillation amplitude can also exceed 1 cm, nearly an order of magnitude larger than previously observed. Using an integrated experimental and numerical approach, we show how the motion of an individual particle can be used to extract the electrostatic force and equilibrium charge variation in the plasma sheath. Additionally, using a delayed-charging model, we are able to accurately capture the nonlinear dynamics of the particle motion, and estimate the particle's equilibrium charging time in the plasma environment.
ISSN:2331-8422
DOI:10.48550/arxiv.1908.03138